Activity
1. At the beginning of class have the following definition
written on the board: Utopia: an ideally perfect
place; especially in its social, political, and
moral states.
2.
Ask students to write or draw what they envision when
they think of Utopia.
What would a utopian city look
like to them? Do they include issues of health in utopia?
3.
Allow students a few minutes to work this out on their
own and then have student volunteers share their
thoughts
and ideas with the class. Record students’ ideas
on the board.
4.
Tell students that they are going to design a healthy
city for all, a health utopia.
They will
need to include
all the essential elements of a city to ensure
that the inhabitants can live and thrive. To do this
they
will
have to draw upon their experiences this semester
in science, geography, language arts and mathematics.
5.
Individually, students should list some of the basic
components of a city in their notebooks.
6.
Place topographic maps on the board at this time. Give
students basic information
about the
cities
as you tape the maps to the board. The actual
cities and
countries
should not be revealed. (Tell students the
latitude, altitude, general climate, and distance to
the
ocean see City Sheet in materials).
7.
Once students have been given time to ponder the information
about the cities, invite them
to sign
up to work on designing
a city by placing their name below the corresponding
topographic map.
8.
When you have groups of 3 to 4 students in a group, close
the group and allow
the
students to
begin talking
about essential elements they want in the
city and where they plan to place each
element. Students
should
use
the planning sheet included in the materials
or they can develop one of their own to
organize their
initial
ideas.
For
your information
CITIES…
Beijing
Shanghai
Paris
Los Angeles
New York
Cairo
Bombay
Istanbul
New Delhi
Lima
London
9.
Tell students that the following day they will begin
the formal blueprinting and mapping of their cities.
Homework
Bring a blueprint of your own design to
share with your group. Review your notes from other classes
and bring any information you think might be relevant to
your group. |
